As we enter the third week without racing, the foot and mouth crisis shows no sign of abating. Patience is fast running out among the industry's professionals and a backlash against the Government cannot be far away.
The same Government, which five months ago secured the financial future of racing, is now using the industry as a firebreak in the fight against foot and mouth.
Minister Joe Walsh has been a good friend to racing throughout his career in politics, but his first priority must be to his Ministry of Agriculture and to defend that larger sector from the ravages of this disease.
So far, his tough response to the situation has been 100% successful with no confirmed cases of foot and mouth in his jurisdiction. This is obviously fantastic news for farmers, but where does it leave racing?
The disease is a double-edged sword. As long as the Government sees its measures working it will want to keep all restrictions in place, while if there are outbreaks within the country it will aim to contain them with even stricter controls.
Many within the tourism industry have already come out against the Government's tough stance and called for a relaxing of bans on some recreational activities. The horseracing industry will not be far behind.
Farmers are sitting on a potential goldmine if the disease is kept at bay. Prices will rocket and exports should follow suit, so racing's pain may well be their gain.
Unless the Government puts in place a compensation package (perhaps increasing employers' tax relief or reducing their PRSI contributions) redundancies are only around the corner. Many vital cogs in our industry could be lost forever as they find work in other areas and abroad.
Trainers have campaigned hard to address staff shortages in the past and this issue was one of the catalysts which led to the march on the Turf Club last October.
That historic day was meant as a once off, but it may not take much more to see the same people take to the streets again to protect their livelihoods.
The news this week that betting tax in the UK has been abolished is yet another body blow to Irish off-course bookmakers. The high street outlets are already trying to come to terms with the abandonment of Cheltenham, the refunding of anti-post bets and a skeleton service from SIS.
No doubt they will be knocking on the Minister for Finance's door looking for parity with their cross-channel counterparts, but I can't see him ceding to their demands.
In the dark-ages for Irish betting offices (pre 1985) illegal betting was rife. Punters were required to pay 20% tax on all off-course transactions and not surprisingly much of the business went underground. But the offices survived.
This new situation with the UK will have practically no effect on over-the-counter bets. It will however have consequences for internet and other credit account betting services, but many of these have up until now been poaching customers from the UK, so they can hardly complain when they are poached back.
Another reason why the Minister for Finance may not abolish the 5% tax is that it would put off-course bookmakers on a par with those plying their trade on racecourses. Such a situation would have a detrimental affect on attendances at all tracks.
Finally, on a lighter note, I see that Cheltenham is looking for a new date for the Festival that will clash with Punchestown. This could be fantastic. Imagine the Shell and Smurfit Champion Hurdles run simultaneously. The BMW and Queen Mother Champion chases. The Paddy Power and Wetherby Bumpers. The Heineken Gold Cup would need to be extended to match up with Cheltennham's Tote equivalent, but what fun it could be. Who would you back? Florida Pearl at Punchestown versus See More Business at Cheltenham!
